EAST GREENBUSH -- Supervisor-elect Keith Langley might be coming into office with a smaller budget and a reduced salary.

The Town Board adopted the 2012 budget by a 4-1 vote on Nov. 16 with councilman Rick Matters, the only Republican, voting against. The $65 million budget includes a significant decrease to the supervisor's budget line as it has decreased by a little over $35,000.

Councilwoman Ginny O'Brien said the wisdom behind that is allotting the money from the budget into different lines. The money taken from the budget, though, is still there. It has just been shifted around within the budget.

"We took it out of one line and we decided to allocate it differently," O'Brien said. "There is also money in our contingency budget, so if there was some sort of shortfall there is money set aside."

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When O'Brien had first seen the final budget she said it initially struck her as unusual as well. Last year, Supervisor Rick McCabe had a $108,649 budget to work with. In the preliminary budget, the supervisor's line was only reduced to $86,747 before it was finally reduced to $73,100.

O'Brien also said that the supervisor's salary was reduced and that there was a specific range built into it. She said she feels that Langley must be in the position for a longer period of time before he is paid the same salary as McCabe.

"I don't necessarily think when someone comes into a job that they should expect to start out at the same level," O'Brien said. "As a Town Board member, the salary was $13,000 but when I took office it was $10,000."

O'Brien said the public had its chance to speak on the budget as there was a public hearing held for the budget but O'Brien said only one resident actually spoke during it.

"A lot of thought went into the budget," O'Brien said. "We are waiting for the new supervisor-elect to come meet with us and give input on the budget."

O'Brien said Langley has yet to meet with McCabe and members of the Town Board. She said she would like to know is position on the current budget and also what his experience level is. Langley said he doesn't have too much information about the budget and that he has had no direct contact with the majority on the town board.

"I do expect to be treated with fairness and to be provided with the resources I need to do the job for the residents of East Greenbush that I was elected to do," Langley said. "I've run for town supervisor and I was duly elected to serve in that capacity."

McCabe was elected to the supervisor's position in 2005 but was beat this year by Langley with a vote of 2,435 to 2,270 votes, according to unofficial results from the Rensselaer County Board of Elections.